TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

It's the most wonderful time of the year when we throw another yule log on the fire, curl up with a loved one, and watch some holiday flix. This holiday season  TheArchive  brings you some of the most beloved pop divas and their star turns in some of our favorite deep cuts. Dolly Parton, Bjork, and Grace Jones are among the many December divas starring in our movies. So let's get started with a Christmas gem that stars Nashville's nicest and never naughtiest. In Unlikely Angel Dolly Parton plays a country music singer who meets an untimely demise and learns she can’t enter heaven until she performs a good deed back on Earth. To earn her wings, she must find a mother for a widowed father and his two children in this endearing film of hope and love. Swing is a 1999 musical romantic comedy Lisa Stansfield. This was Stansfield's film debut and she also did the soundtrack.  An ex-con (Hugo Speer) dreams of putting together a swing band and getting back with his ex-girlfrie

As we gear up for the holidays we wanted to share two family stories worth streaming. So grab some hot cocoa, curl up on the couch with your loved ones, and start with Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story . Follow Natalie Cole and the  legacy of her father the late great Nat King Cole whose absence fueled her triumph over drug addiction, paved a path to resilience, and the duet that reignited a remarkable comeback. The legendary Robert Townsend directed the true story. In Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge , Ashley Judd, narrates the true story of the illustrious Judd family. Starting with Naomi's struggles as a single mother in 1960s in Kentucky, we follow the trio of Judds as they fight to achieve their dreams. Along the path to musical stardom for Naomi and Wynona, they're faced with struggles and familial tensions all the while tracking Ashley's battles with isolation and loneliness, feeling like an outsider. The family drama stars Kathleen York, Viveka

Beneath the Helmet explores the story of Five Israeli high school graduates drafted into the military. Eden Adler (First Lieutenant), Oren Giladi (Private), Mekonan Abebe (Private), Eilon Cohen (Private), Coral Amarani (Sergeant) enter training for eight months,  discovering their core values, unearthing emotions from the past, and learning that their teenage lives are now changed forever. The documentary highlights a few different positions the teens hold, ranging from First Lieutenant to Private, Sergeant and Commander.  Mekonen and Oren are both Privates, who emigrated to Israel from Ethiopia and Switzerland. After joining the army, the two became the best of friends — despite their different upbringing. The other three teens featured are Coral, Eden, and Eilon — all of whom hail from Israel.   Coral is from the affluent neighborhood of Herzliya Pituach and is a Sergeant at a pre-basic training program, working to get 12 soldiers integrated into the IDF (Is

From vampires and werewolves to witches and demons, here's a rundown of movie ideas to keep you watching all Halloween 100 Years of Horror  chronicles the history of movie horror from the earliest experimental chillers through to the unforgettable "golden age of movie monsters," and on to the graphic horror films of today. To get some good ideas on what to watch this month ( or just learn more about how this genre emerged ), start here with these 13 docs: Dracula and his Disciples : Cinematic portrayals of Bram Stoker's Count Dracula, including those of Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and Christopher Lee. Blood Drinking Beginnings : Blood-drinking beings, most notably inspired by Bram Stoker's novel and how different filmmakers found new ways of reinventing the concept of the vampire. Frankenstein's Friends : Classic films based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein focuses on portrayals of the monster by Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and Glenn St

It's a network series talent smackdown and the stakes are high. With NCIS episode 3 of Season 19 debuting tonight, anything can happen as we learn more about Gary Cole's character Agent Park. As Mark Harmon steps back on NCIS and Gary Cole steps in...will Cole assume the NCIS throne or is this all shameless TV marketing? After 19 seasons can anyone really just replace Harmon? Can Cole fill those polished shoes? I guess we shall see. But in the meantime, we have our own Cole v. Harmon marathon below so you decide who's got the chops or should be chopped! We start with the Harmon and Prince of Bel-Air . Four years before the series of nearly the same title starring Will Smith, and a year before they starred in the cult hit "Summer School," Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley showed their romantic comedy chemistry in this little known 80s classic.  Next up is For My Daughter's Honor   following a high school student who becomes an object of creepy romantic affection to

TheArchive pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic filmmakers who have positively enriched our culture. Here's some of our film classics from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema and the filmmakers who no doubt influenced their American filmmaker successors. From famed director and “father of cinematic surrealism” Luis Buñuel , Una Mujer Sin Amor , tells the story of a woman who sacrifices her own happiness for her family, but in doing so creates a rift that will take a lifetime to mend.  Romantic drama La Duda , was directed by Alejandro Galindo, one of the most prolific and lauded directors of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Directed in 1962 by Miguel Delgado, renowned Mexican director of over 140 films, Estoy Casado, Ja Ja is a romantic comedy adventure featuring the story of Ana Maria and Marcelo who meet on a cruise ship and plan to get married on the spot. However, the wedding is postponed under the contingency that the two should get to know more about one another first

John Ritter has been gone an impossibly long time yet he is as alive and good as ever. After watching the brilliant "Superstar: The Life of John Ritter" we had to dig into TheArchive and see for ourselves. It is hard to remember that he was equal parts heartthrob and loveable goofball. But there was also depth and range far beyond the laughs. That he could be everything to everyone is one of life's great mysteries, one only Ritter could solve. Let's celebrate his legacy and share some of the films that showcase the many facets of John Ritter.  When Phil meets the woman of his dreams only to discover she's getting married in a week, he will do whatever he can to stop her walk down the aisle. The Last Fling also stars Connie Sellecca, Scott Bakula, Shannon Tweed, and Mario Lopez. Nothing like Pretty Woman to inspire the happy hooker with a heart of gold genre. Donald splits his affection between two women: his wife and a prostitute. When he's mysteriously murd